An expedition with my mic, pen & pencil

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Wait. Constructive messages why be anonymous?

Sarahah - an anonymous messaging application that was sensational among netizens a few weeks ago. Screenshots flooding social networking sites, eyes going agog for new message notification, mind raring for more and more, it appeared as though it was the need of the hour.
As its description says,

"Sarahah helps you in discovering your strengths and areas for improvement by receiving honest feedback from your employees and your friends in a private manner"

To me, it is plainly "anyone can say anything to anyone and get away with it", be it any anonymous messaging platform for that matter. Now, why do we use it in general?

For constructive/destructive criticism

To praise/abuse someone

To simply express yourself

To play fun pranks

The last one was fun. I found some amusing snapshots on my FB wall.😄 Sharing one such tongue-in-cheek jest below.

But take a serious look, why Sarahah otherwise?

Saying "You have a great voice, it was a pleasure listening to you!" or "You can do this better" in person makes a significant difference, don't you think so? Every artist needs recognition and that is better done in person any day.

Abusing/bullying/insulting someone is not justifiable in the first place. Picture below shows some frightful reports from 2016 cyberbullying data.

Rule of thumb: Never drift from your standards. Keep up your virtues even if you choose anonymity.

Come on, you think you have so much time to spend on messengers? Get real. Life is short.

Don't be cowardly and go anonymous. Why not confront with charisma?

Do not propose anonymously, never just because someone is beautiful. Remember, beauty is only skin deep. Character lasts.

Well, aren't these the values that add beauty to our lives? To me, they absolutely do.

Every soul longs for the slightest signs of love and affection. We never get tired of kindness, do we? At the end of the day, the people you meet and be with in your lifetime are all that you have. Why not keep your circle happy? Why not take time to appreciate the goodness you come across? Why not make someone smile? Why not help someone be strong again? Why not embrace the differences and co-exist?

Why not show up for real and do all these?

From my experience:

"You are beautiful", popped up in my phone. Flashing a brief smile, I carried on.
A message after a few days read "You are cute but stop exhibiting". I smiled again, this time at the false audacity of someone without a name and face calling me an exhibitionist. Another sent "You are the love of my life but I never had the guts to tell you". Period. This one had me chuckling along with my husband and dear son.
A few more notifications and I uninstalled it.